


Sand and Stars

by agoldengalaxy



Category: Toy Story (Movies)
Genre: First Meeting, Gen, human!AU, origin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-07-25 23:35:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20034187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agoldengalaxy/pseuds/agoldengalaxy
Summary: Woody Pride is one of Dallas’ best cops. He has a perfect life; a wife, two children, and a job that he loves. But then he meets Buzz Anderson, his new partner, and all he wants is for things to go back to the way they were. But perhaps he won’t always feel that way.





	1. Take Your Child to Work Day

**Author's Note:**

> ok so this is a huge wip for me and things are still all over the place but! I really wanted to do a human au so I thought I’d take a crack at it :) any suggestions or questions, please let me know!!

Woody sat at his desk, drinking a lukewarm cup of coffee as he glanced over an email on his desktop computer.

He still had a couple minutes before he had to head to the station, so he figured he’d catch up a bit, and this one had caught his eye.

He’d known for a few weeks that the chief wanted to give him a partner, and it seemed like the day had come. Crime rates were rising in Dallas, which meant it was much more dangerous for policemen and women to be going out on their own. He supposed he understood that, but he’d been a part of the police force for almost eight years; surely  _ he _ would be fine on his own.

His job was to train the new guy, at least for a little while. Maybe the chief would let him go off on his own after he got the hang of things. Yes, he was sure everything would be completely fine.

“Dad!” Andy slid into the room (literally; he was wearing socks), clad in a blue, slightly big, child’s cop costume. “I’m ready for take your child to work day!” The eight-year-old was practically bouncing with excitement, and Woody beamed proudly, getting to his feet and picking up his son with a groan.

“Whoa! Look how big you’re getting! The chief may recruit you today. Maybe you can be my new partner,” he joked, earning a laugh. “But that won’t happen if you don’t find your shoes first.”

Andy’s eyes lit up and he squirmed in his father’s grasp so he would be let down, and ran out of the room to find his shoes.

Woody chuckled and stood up, grabbing his own cap and tugging it snugly onto his head. “You better not be making promises you can’t keep, Woodrow Pride.” Bo stood in the doorway with a smile on her face and their one-year-old daughter on her hip. 

“Me?” he feigned surprise. “Of course not.” He returned the smile. “Take care of your mother while I’m gone today, Molly.” He winked at her, and she babbled something in response and reached out, grabbing his nose, erupting into giggles.

“I suppose she doesn’t want you to go,” Bo laughed, gently removing her hand from his nose. The little girl pouted, but they knew she’d forget about it soon enough. She wasn’t old enough to understand missing her father when he left yet - which was good.

“Well, you can tell her I’ll be back before she knows it,” he said softly, leaning closer to give Bo a short but sweet kiss, then pulled back as he felt a light tugging on his shirt.

Andy had managed to put his shoes on the right feet this time. “Dad, come on!” he whined impatiently, obviously grossed out by his parents’ display of affection.

Woody laughed and nodded, ruffling the boy’s hair and glancing back up at his wife. “We’ll be back soon,” he promised. “I’ve already fed the sheep and chickens, and there’s a pot of coffee on the stove.”

She smiled and reached up, tugging his hat down a bit tighter on his head. “Go get ‘em, cowboy,” she murmured, then knelt down a little to kiss Andy on the cheek. “Be good for your father, young man.”

“I will, Mom!”

“Those are my boys.” She smiled, then nodded towards the door. Woody returned the smile and touched the tip of his hat, then took Andy’s hand in his own.

They headed outside and were greeted by their next door neighbors.

“Hey, Woody! Not causin’ trouble, are we, Andy?” 

“No, Mr. Head!” the boy replied earnestly, bouncing up on his toes. “It’s take your child to work day!”

The plump, sarcastic man smirked, switching his hose from one hand to the other. “Is it, now?”

“Be nice, Porter,” his wife chastised, standing up from where she had been kneeling by her garden. The slightly shorter, also plump woman waved at them with a huge grin on her face. She had a daisy in her hair. “Hi, you two! Have a good day at work!”

“Thanks, Patricia. Say hello to the triplets for us!” Woody called back, then went to help Andy into his car seat. As he walked to the driver’s seat, he noticed the three young boys in the window, waving enthusiastically at him. He chuckled and waved back, then got in the car. “Ready to go, partner?” he asked, looking at his son in the rear view mirror.

“Yeah, partner!”

Woody smiled and pulled out of the driveway. The whole drive, Andy asked him questions about the station and about the ‘bad guys’. 

Andy had been to the station a couple times before, but he expected something new every time. 

Woody loved him more than anything.

When they made it to the station, he parked, unbuckled Andy, took his hand, and headed inside. As usual, he was one of the only officers with a kid, but his nervous but well-meaning colleague and friend, Rex, was going to be leading a tour with the other children. His partner, Hamilton, or otherwise known as Hamm, looked like he’d rather be doing anything else.

“Officer Pride, just the man I wanted to see.” Chief Davis appeared behind them both before he could say anything to Andy. He jumped and turned to face her, giving her a sheepish grin.

“Hello, chief. You remember my son, Andy?”

The woman was relatively young, perhaps a bit older than he was, with blonde hair twisted into a bun underneath her cap. She smirked and crossed her arms over her chest, slowly kneeling down to his level. He looked a little nervous, grabbing onto Woody’s leg. “Of course I do. Hello, Officer,” she said with a wink, which seemed to make him feel a little better. “You wanna work for the police force one day, son?”

Andy’s eyes lit up, and he stood a bit straighter. “Yes, ma’am!”

“I like that enthusiasm,” she chuckled, standing up to her full height again. “Why don’t you go join the other children, Andy?”

The boy looked up at Woody for confirmation. He chuckled lightly and nodded slightly. “Rex is nice. You’ll like him, go on.”

He smiled and nodded, running off to join the other kids. “See you later, Dad!” 

Woody waved to him, watching him go. “Excitable kid you’ve got there, Officer,” Chief Davis chuckled, making him look back at her.

“Yes, ma’am. He’s wanted to be a cop for most of his life,” he replied with a crooked grin.

She smirked, sticking her hands deep into her pockets. “That’s great.” Glancing at Rex, who was getting started on the tour, she then turned back to Woody, a serious expression returning to her face. “I expect you received my email this morning.”

It took all of his willpower not to make a face. “Yes, ma’am. Though if I may disagree, I’ve been on the force for almost a decade, and I think I work a lot better on my own. Have I ever let you down?”

“You’ve been one of our best officers. I won’t deny it,” she replied patiently, though there was a stern look in her eye now. “The new guy needs training, and that’s why I need you. And like the email said, crime rates are steadily rising. I’m sure you can handle yourself, but the safety of my officers is my top priority. I’m giving you a partner, and that’s final.” She adjusted her cap, giving him a small smile. “I’ll go see where he’s run off to.”

She slapped him on the back and walked away. Once she was gone, Woody exhaled slowly, letting his shoulders sag with a deep groan. He supposed there wasn’t any getting out of this. Hopefully the new guy wouldn’t be too bad.

Although he would never admit it, he was slightly nervous. He knew it was ridiculous, but a small part of him, deep down, worried that this new guy would be better than him. Younger, maybe a better shot. Who knew.

While he worried quietly to himself, he turned and noticed a broad, burlier man accompanying the chief. He had short, dark hair, was obviously a bit shorter than Woody, and wore a huge grin. He looked slightly younger than him, and as he walked he had his fists on his hips.

As they got closer, Woody made eye contact with the other, and his grin only grew. “Hello,” Woody said politely, trying not to feel self-conscious, gaze flicking towards the chief for a brief moment.

“Officer, this is your new partner, Buzz Anderson. Buzz, this is Woody Pride, one of our top officers.”

“Great to meet you,” Buzz exclaimed, extending his hand and taking Woody’s firmly, shaking his hand roughly.

Woody glanced at their hands for a moment before looking back up at him, nodding slightly. “You too,” he replied stiffly, taking his hand back before it could become too awkward.

“I’ll leave you two to get acquainted. I have to make sure Hamilton hasn’t convinced Rex to show the children the glass cells.” Chief Davis winked, then headed off again.

Buzz was looking around, an eyebrow raised as he took in the surroundings.

“So...Buzz. Like Buzz Aldrin?” Woody began awkwardly, clasping his hands behind him.

“My namesake, actually,” he confirmed proudly, crossing his arms comfortably across his chest. “I used to be an astronaut, but I gave it up to become a cop.”

“Oh.” He raised a brow at that, a small frown appearing on his face. “That’s...noble.”

The other seemed to straighten a bit with pride at the compliment. “Thanks. I barely passed training, though. I don’t know if I’m cut out to be an officer. I may have to go back to D.C.”

“Uh huh…” Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Buzz had a prosthetic hand. If he didn’t look closer at it, he never would have noticed, so he quickly looked back up at Buzz so he wouldn’t catch him staring. He wouldn’t say so, but he was secretly hoping their ‘partnership’ wouldn’t last very long.

They were luckily spared any more awkward conversation because the children had returned from their tour. “Dad!”

Andy wore a huge grin as he ran towards Woody, practically bouncing up and down by the time he reached him. “Mr. Rex and Mr. Hamm showed us some empty cells, and I got to pretend to lock them up like a real cop! And Chief Davis let us see her office! It was so cool.” 

“That’s great, kiddo! I’m glad you had fun today.”

Andy paused and looked up at Buzz, taking a step closer to Woody nervously. “Who might this be?” Buzz asked with a large grin, winking at him.

“Oh, this is Andy, my son. Andy, this is Buzz. He’s going to be my new partner.”

“Buzz?” Andy repeated, taking a small

step away from Woody, obviously trying to feel a bit braver. “That’s a cool name.”

He smiled widely, slowly kneeling to Andy’s height. “Thanks, ranger. You have a pretty cool name, too. Have you heard of Buzz Aldrin?”

Woody had to swallow a groan. Was he going to bring up space stuff in every conversation?

“No, who’s that?”

“He was the first man to walk on the moon,” Buzz explained with a wink. “I took after him.”

Andy’s eyes widened. “You’re an  _ astronaut?” _

“Was.” Woody interrupted under his breath, looking at the ground.

The two looked up at him, but otherwise ignored his comment as Andy bombarded Buzz with questions about space, and Woody just had to stand there.

He felt an unexplainable jealousy bubble up in his chest while he listened to them talk. It took most of his willpower not to interrupt them again, tapping his fingers impatiently on the side of his leg. 

Rex and Hamm came over to get Andy, because the kids had gone off with the chief to get lunch. “Woody, this your new partner?” Hamm asked, raising a brow. 

“Yeah,” he replied through gritted teeth, while Buzz got to his feet to shake hands with the two of them. “This is Buzz Anderson. Buzz, Rex and Hamm.”

“Pleasure to meet you both,” Buzz exclaimed with a friendly grin.

Rex looked surprised, his hand retracting from the handshake so that he could wring them both in front of him. “Wow, you’ve got a strong grip, sir.”

He chuckled. “Thank you. I’ve been working on my strength, actually.”

“We all have,” Hamm replied sarcastically, though a small grin showed on his face. “Although it seems to be working for you. Wish I had a body like yours, but I’m not as young as I used to be.”

They shared a laugh and Woody cleared his throat. “Uh, guys, could you take Andy to lunch? I think he’s hungry.”

Andy pouted as he looked up at him. “I don’t wanna leave!”

Hamm smirked. “I think somebody’s jealous,” he drawled, gaze lingering on Woody for a moment before Rex spoke again.

“Come on, Andy. They’ll be serving dessert soon.”

The boy paused at that, then smiled a little. “Okay.” He took Rex’s hand, glancing back at his father. “Bye, Dad. Bye, Mr. Buzz!”

Woody smiled a little, though he was sure it didn’t reach his eyes. “Have a good time.”

“See you soon, ranger!” Buzz exclaimed, giving him another wink.

They watched them go, and for the rest of the day, Woody was tasked with showing Buzz around the station, because they’d be patrolling the next day.

He found that his new partner was not the brightest. He barely knew anything about being a cop, though luckily the only thing Woody had to deal with was cluelessness - he stopped bringing up space during their time together, because he was too busy asking how to use a two-way radio and what to do if he lost a key to handcuffs.

By the end of the day, Woody was exhausted. He couldn’t believe he was stuck with Buzz, of all people. It was almost like having a child for a partner. 

Rex and Hamm brought all of the kids to their respective parent, and Andy’s face lit up as he noticed his father with Buzz. “Dad, Mr. Buzz!” He jogged over, puffing his chest out proudly. “Look, I got a badge!”

“That’s great!” He smiled, ruffling the boy’s hair. “I’m so proud of you, partner.”

Buzz flashed a grin at him. “You’re already more qualified than I am!”

“Really?” Andy beamed and bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet. The man nodded, still grinning. “Wow! Maybe I can be the world’s first cop astronaut!” he exclaimed thoughtfully.

Buzz laughed. Woody forced a smile. “Come on, Andy, it’s almost bedtime.”

He pouted, turning to look back at Buzz. He held his hand out - not the prosthetic one - and Andy took it happily, shaking it. “We’ll see each other again, ranger, don’t worry.”

Andy seemed to perk up a bit at that. “Okay. Bye, Mr. Buzz!” He ran back to his father, and grabbed his hand. Together, they walked to the car.

Andy fell asleep on the way home, so Woody was alone with his thoughts. He knew he’d be feeling annoyed, stuck with training the guy who’d end up being his partner, but he wasn’t expecting to feel jealous, too. And because of his son. This was so stupid, he knew, but he couldn’t help the emotion in the pit of his stomach.

When he pulled back into the driveway, he went and carefully took Andy from the car seat, holding him against his chest like he used to when he was younger. He was silent as he headed inside and carefully put him to bed, then out to the kitchen where Bo was sitting.

“Hard day, huh?” she asked with a smile upon seeing him.

He chuckled a little, taking his cap off and sitting next to her. “Andy had a good day.”

He didn’t want to bother Bo with his silly thoughts, so he didn’t talk much about it, and she could sense he was avoiding it. “I’m going back to the hospital tomorrow,” she said softly, snapping him from his thoughts. She was smiling a bit. “Slowly going back to work. I’m having Slink come over to watch the kids.”

Daniel Slink was Woody’s best friend and college roommate. He was a 5th grade math teacher, meaning he was great with kids - and he loved Andy and Molly. “It’ll be nice to see him again.”

“Mm hm.” Bo gave him that gaze that always made him melt. “Come on, sheriff, let's get to bed.”

He couldn’t agree more.

  
  



	2. A Harmless Prank

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Woody is feeling jealous about the attention his new partner, Buzz, is receiving.

Woody buttoned up his coat, looking at himself in the mirror with a sigh. 

Today, he and Buzz would be going on patrol for the first time together. For the first time in eight years, he was dreading going to work. He loved his job, and he didn’t want Buzz to ruin it for him, but things weren’t looking great. 

He shook his head and went to Molly’s room, where she was sitting up in her crib and looking around curiously. “Good morning,” he said with a smile, cooing at her as he picked her up and placed her on his hip. 

Her smile always made his morning better.

The doorbell rang right on cue, and he smiled a bit more, carrying her to the door to open it. A tall, lanky man with wild dark dreadlocks stood on the other side, grinning.

“Uncle Slink!” Andy came barreling out of his room, a huge grin on his face, even before Woody could greet him.

“Hey there, little buddy!” He knelt down, arms extended, and Andy ran into his embrace, giggling. “Boy howdy, what is your father feeding you? I swear you grow a foot each time I see you!”

Andy beamed proudly and stepped back, allowing Slink to stand up and step inside the house. “I’m four feet tall now!”

Slink whistled lowly, shaking his head and winking over at Woody. “You’ll be taller than your pops one day.” He held out his hand, and Woody took it, shaking it firmly. “How ya doin’?”

“Not bad,” he lied with a smile, “how about you? Teaching still treating you well?”

The man ruffled Andy’s hair lightly, and he nodded. “Yeah, the kids are great. Still practice with Hamm and Head on the weekends, though. I’m hoping the band’ll take off. You love us, don’t you, Moll?” He bent a bit to reach her eye level on Woody’s hip, and the cop smiled and carefully handed her to him.

“You know I’m your number one fan,” he laughed, placing his hands on his hips.

“Of course,” he replied with a wink, adjusting his hold on Molly as she grabbed onto one of his dreads. “The Blue Clouds’re gonna make the charts one day, just you wait.”

Woody smiled a bit more. “I have no doubt that that’s true,” he responded, ruffling Andy’s hair. “Alright, I’ve gotta get going. Be nice to your Uncle Slink, okay?”

“Okay, Dad! Say hi to Mr. Buzz for me!”

Woody forced a smile, earning a confused look from Slink, but he ignored it. “Okay, buddy. Slink, you know how to reach me or Bo if you need anything.”

“Right on,” he replied, still looking a bit confused, but knew better than to ask; at least in front of the kids. “Have a good day, copper.”

Woody tipped his hat slightly, and with that, he stepped outside, sighing heavily as the door closed behind him. He was greeted by wind and rain.

This was going to be a long week.

When he arrived at the station, Chief Davis reminded everyone that somebody would be announced as employee of the week at the end of the day (despite it seeming slightly childish, she liked to do so to keep moods and spirits high). Woody had received it a couple of times - and he probably would receive it much more if the chief wasn’t afraid of being accused of having favorites. 

He knew it was stupid, but he began to fear that he would be replaced by Buzz. After the announcement, he turned and noticed he was chatting up a storm with Hamm and Rex, who seemed very interested in conversation, which, unwittingly, made jealousy bubble up inside of his chest.

Perhaps a little prank would help. It wouldn’t hurt, and they could all get a good laugh out of it, right?

While some colleagues wandered around to grab coffee or wait around for orders, Woody snuck into an empty conference room, grabbing a box full of lost and found items. He peeked around the corner, noticing Buzz by himself, looking out the window while he drank coffee.

He smirked and grabbed a baseball, tossing it in his hand before rolling it across the floor, hitting lightly against Buzz’s shoe.

Buzz frowned and slowly bent to pick it up. “Where’d this come from?” he wondered aloud, and with him distracted, Woody peeked out a bit and tossed a defective, open umbrella towards him, quickly hiding behind the door. “What…?”

Woody placed the box back, grinning to himself, then tried to wipe the grin off, clearing his throat. He’d learned the day before that Buzz wasn’t very smart. Maybe this would work. He’d lose his balance, and it would be hilarious.

He stepped out of the room, walking up to Buzz. “Hey. Cool lookin’ umbrella you’ve got there,” he said cheekily, while his partner still stared at it with a confused look on his face.

“It’s not -“

“Let’s see it in action!” Woody cut him off and walked over to the window, throwing it open. The wind roared and rain poured in. Buzz was immediately caught off guard, the open umbrella pulling him around.

“Whoa!” He gripped the umbrella tighter but it didn’t do much. Woody snorted, trying to hold in his laughter. “A little help?”

He was about to reply with a smart comment when everything seemed to go in slow motion. Buzz tried to straighten up, and he took a step; right onto the baseball Woody had used to distract him. Being off balance already, the trip, and the wind, carried him right out the window with a startled yell.

Woody gasped and immediately looked out, squinting in the rain. “Woody! What did you do?” Rex exclaimed, startling him to turn around. He looked nervous. Hamm looked annoyed.

“Jeez, we knew you didn’t like him, but you didn’t have to throw him out the window.”

“N-No, no, guys. It’s not like that, I -“

Hamm rolled his eyes, grabbing Rex’s arm. “Whatever. We’re gonna go make sure he hasn’t broken every bone in his body.” They started towards the door, but the chief appeared behind them, telling them to get to work. As they left, Hamm gave Woody a dirty look.

“Officer Pride!” Chief Davis strolled over to him with an easy smile. “Sorry it took so long. A little girl called the station because her cat was stuck in a tree, but before we could do anything the cat hopped do -“ she stopped herself, frowning as she looked past him. “Why do you look so guilty? And why’s the window open?”

Woody cleared his throat, turning and very quickly shutting the window. “No reason. Sorry. Bit jittery today,” he replied nervously, forcing a grin.

“Uh-huh. Well, I hate to send you two out in the rain, but go find Anderson and get out on your first patrol. He needs it.” She winked, then walked away.

He looked left, then right, then sprinted out the door. When he glanced towards the window, he noticed Buzz was gone. He wasn’t lying in the dirt - but it was just a one-story window, surely he was fine. Maybe if he left for patrol on his own, no one would know?

He pressed his lips together and went to one of the police cars, unlocking it and stepping inside quickly to get out of the rain. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched, but even so, he pulled out of the lot and headed out. 

The rain was coming down so hard it was difficult to see. Woody finally ended up pulling over onto a seemingly empty street to wait it out. As he sat there, the engine grumbled and gradually came to a stop.

“Just great,” he muttered, getting out of the car to check under the hood. He didn’t know much about cars, though, so most likely he’d have to call for help. At least the rain was letting up.

He went to open his door again when he noticed one of the doors in the back was slightly open. To his surprise, it opened wider, and Buzz stepped out, eyebrows furrowed as he crossed his arms. 

“B…” Woody trailed off, shocked at first, staring at the man who’d fallen out of a window twenty minutes ago. “Buzz, you’re okay!” He sighed, relieved, taking a few steps forward. “This is great. I’m saved. We’ll finish our patrol and we can get back to the station, and you can tell everyone that this was just a big misunderstanding. Right? Buddy?” he asked, chuckling lightly as he dusted off Buzz’s shoulder.

The other looked unimpressed. “I just want you to know that even though you tried to terminate me, revenge is not really an idea that NASA likes to promote.”

“Oh.” He nodded, a bit confused. “That’s good.”

“But we’re not apart of NASA.” Buzz grabbed Woody’s collar, bringing him closer with a sneer. “Are we?”

Woody gulped. “Uh. No?”

Buzz immediately lunged and they rolled onto the street, limbs flying in all directions. The only sound that filled the air were quiet grunts and light rain. They each landed a couple hits to the other, and Woody was almost certain he’d be receiving a black eye.

While Woody stood over Buzz to land some hits, light distracted him and Buzz kicked him in the groin, and they both knelt on their knees. “Buzz,” he coughed, pointing behind him.

Behind them a truck was pulling into the road. Buzz took Woody by the shoulders and they both rolled towards the sidewalk, getting out of the way just in time. 

It came to a stop behind the cop car, but no one stepped out. The two men slowly got to their feet, brushing themselves off and shooting each other dirty glares.

“I can’t believe this. I wonder what the guys at Headquarters would say about this...situation.”

Anger boiled in every vein of Woody’s being. “You are a  _ cop!” _ He screamed, throwing his hands up in frustration. “You’re not an astronaut, you are an officer of the law! So start acting like it!”

Buzz narrowed his eyes a little, seemingly unfazed. “You are a sad, strange little man. And you have my pity. I’m going back on my own. Farewell.” He turned, starting to walk off, holding a hand up in good-bye.

Woody let out a low groan, rolling his eyes. “Good riddance,” he mumbled, heading towards the car again. He remembered that the car had stopped working and frowned, a thought occurring to him.

If he called for help and he didn’t return to the station with Buzz, everyone would think he’d just abandoned his partner. And he knew Chief Davis wouldn’t take too kindly to that. 

“Buzz!” He yelled through the wind.

“Go away!”

He took a deep breath, then jogged over to him. “Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot, but the weather’s crazy, and we really should stick together.”

Buzz stopped walking, staring up at the sky for a moment, frowning. He opened his mouth to reply, but Woody didn’t hear it, because he was grabbed from behind, a cloth placed over his mouth.

His vision blackened around the edges, and he fought to stay conscious, but he lost, darkness enveloping him as he crumpled to the ground.


	3. The Kid With the Skull T-Shirt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Woody and Buzz have a heart to heart in some kid’s basement.

Woody let out a low groan, his head pounding.

When he opened his eyes, he took in his surroundings, squinting. It looked like he was in a basement of some kind. And he was also tied to a chair.

He looked down and struggled against his bonds, grunting with the effort. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Looking up quickly, he found Buzz was sitting tied up a few feet away, looking upset. There was a ring of gasoline around him.

Behind him, a young man with a black shirt, buzzcut, and cynical grin was standing with a hand on the back of the chair.

“Sid,” Woody grumbled, staring him down.

“You know this man?” Buzz asked, clearly surprised.

“Yeah. He’s a known arsonist around here,” he glared and straightened up as best as he could. “What do you want, Sid?”

Sid smirked and straightened up, moving to stand between the two cops. “Well, you know how I feel about you pigs. It’s been way too long since I’ve set anything on fire.” He tilted his head slightly. “And I see you have a new friend, Pride. Saw the whole fight. You’re worse at throwing punches than I thought.”

Woody sighed heavily, shaking his head. “C’mon, kid. The chief knows where your house is. She’s gonna figure out where Buzz and I went and find us. Just give it up and your sentence won’t have to be too long.”

“Oh, that’s cool. You think I’d be stupid enough to take you to my own house?” he chuckled darkly, shaking his head. “I’ve learned my lessons. Had enough close calls with you coppers.” He rolled his eyes, tapping the top of Buzz’s head with a grin, making him wince.

“Sid, you’re making a huge mistake,” Woody attempted, trying to break free of his bonds again. 

The young man laughed again. “You think you’re so righteous. It makes me sick. I can’t wait to watch you both burn.”

His grin faltered as a quiet ringing began. He scowled and went to the phone on the wall, picking up. “Hello?” His face morphed into anger as he listened. Woody couldn’t hear who was on the other line or what they were saying. “Fine. Fine. Shut up, Mom. I’m coming, just chill out.”

Sid pulled the phone off the wall angrily and threw it, breaking it in a couple pieces. He then glared between the two cops, as if daring them to laugh at what they had just heard. “Don’t even think about moving. I’ll be back before sunrise.”

Sunrise? How long had he been unconscious?

Sid huffed and kicked over another chair before stomping up the stairs.

Once he was sure he was gone Woody shook his head and took a deep breath, scooting his chair towards the nearby ping-pong table. “Don’t worry, Buzz. I’m gonna get us outta here.” The other was staring glassy-eyed at the floor. It was almost concerning, but Woody decided against saying anything for the moment and focused on getting the rope off of his wrists.

He clenched his jaw and tried the rope against some of the metal. He missed the first few times, but eventually the rope was resting above a jutting piece of metal, with his shoulders at an almost uncomfortable height. He cleared his throat and rubbed the rope back and forth, hopefully creating enough friction to break through.

His arms ached, and for a long couple of minutes, things were silent while he struggled. Finally, he felt the rope loosen around his wrists and he breathed a sigh of relief as it fell to the ground with a quiet thump, returning his arms to the front to stretch them out. 

Immediately, he returned his gaze to Buzz, who seemed to be deep in thought about something. He cleared his throat and went over to him. “We’ll get outta here before Sid comes back.” He quickly untied the rope around his partner’s wrists, then took a step back, looking around the room to find the stairs. “There! Let’s go!”

He ran up the stairs and found the door locked, of course. Taking a step back, he rammed his shoulder into it...which, of course, just resulted in his shoulder hurting. He huffed and realized Buzz hadn’t followed him. A quick trip back to the bottom of the stairs showed him his partner was actually still sitting exactly where he left him.

Woody sighed, staring at him. “Look, you have every right to hate me, but we need to get out of here. Could you give me a hand?”

Buzz, without looking up, simply pulled his prosthetic hand out and tossed it at him, landing at Woody’s feet.

He couldn’t believe this guy. “Ah. That’s hilarious - Buzz, this is serious!” he hissed, bending to pick up the hand and walking back over, placing it in his lap. “Come on! We…” he trailed off, sighing as he sunk into the chair across from him. “I...I can’t do this without your help.”

Buzz finally seemed to break from his trance, sniffing once and closing his eyes for a moment before picking up his hand and putting it back in place. “I can’t help.”

The cop was more taken aback than anything. “What?” he asked, astounded, as he slowly rose to his feet again.

“I’ve been lying to you, sheriff.” He looked up at the ceiling with a deep sigh. “I never was an astronaut. I couldn’t pass training.”

“What?” Woody felt his heart drop into his stomach. “Why not?”

The other managed a small shrug. “Wasn’t strong enough. Especially with this hand,” he sighed, seemingly looking everywhere except for at Woody. “It was my dream for my whole life. So I tell people I was an astronaut to make myself feel better, but now...with an actual occupation I was able to land, I...I couldn’t do my job.” He looked angry. “When Sid came up behind you, I couldn’t do anything, I just stood there like an idiot and he drugged me, too.” He hung his head. “I can’t be an astronaut and I can’t be a cop either.”

Woody was left staring with his mouth slightly open. Not only had Buzz’s self-confidence been a full front, but he’d been lying the whole time. He wasn’t quite sure what to say for a long moment, then sighed, leaning against the wall and sliding down it to sit on the floor. Guilt was consuming him and he honestly felt for Buzz. Thinking for a moment, he slowly took his cap off, staring down at it in his lap. “Every cop freezes up sometimes. That’s not your fault. This wasn’t supposed to happen on our first patrol.” He rubbed the back of his neck. 

Buzz looked up, but said nothing.

“You know, when Andy was younger, he was really shy. He still kind of is. He doesn’t like leaving my side, but with you…” he chuckled a little. “Gosh, Buzz, he loved you. And it wasn’t just because you said you were an astronaut. He said you treated him like a grown-up. He thought you were so cool.” He was aware of Buzz looking at him now, but he didn’t look up. “When you have a kid, all you want is for him to think you’re something worth looking up to. But I’m not that. I was so jealous of you, and I really didn’t mean for you to fall out the window, but it happened...and I feel terrible. Jealousy seems so childish, and I’m...I’m sorry. It’s really all my fault. You’ll be a great cop, Buzz. I hope I can be a better partner.”

For a long time there was silence. And then, from where he was staring at the floor, he noticed Buzz stand up, and a hand appeared in front of him. He looked up with surprise.

“C’mon, officer. It’s time to get us back to the station, and back to your son.” 

Woody blinked in surprise, but a slow smile found its way onto his face. He pulled his cap back onto his head and allowed Buzz to help him up. “Okay. We need to knock down the door. Our best bet is to somehow contact the chief, and she can gather the others to help us catch Sid for good.”

Buzz had a newfound look of determination on his face, and he nodded lightly, his gaze shifting to the broken pieces of the phone littered on the floor. “You don’t suppose there’s another line upstairs?”

“One way to find out.” Together, they climbed up to the top, and with both of their strength, they rammed the door open.

They shared a grin and started exploring. It looked like they were in a house on the edge of the city, and one glance at a clock told them it was one in the morning.

Woody stood, brainstorming what to do while Buzz poked around. Soon, he returned to the kitchen, raising an eyebrow. “Got a plan, Woody?”

“Yeah.” He nodded slightly, a small smile finding its way onto his face. “Here’s what we’ll do.”

  
  



End file.
